Yeah, I have the fastest cable available and if I were downloading typical jpg pictures, I could average about one per three seconds.
If the computer in question was available for use by anybody else, then I can't see a conviction. He could have been set up..........
Sometimes it's the browser too. When I upgraded to Firefox 2.0, the pages loaded noticeably faster. I also have Satellite internet access, which should be slower than both Cable/DSL.
A 50kb jpeg image opens in about 3/4 of one second for me. If you use Firefox, this will speed it up even more.
Another thing to check out (only if you are interested and feeling adventurous, of course) is a TCP Optimizer.